Each October, the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) creates an overarching theme for its initiatives to enhance cybersecurity at home and in the workplace. The theme for 2019 is “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” NCSAM has a wealth of resources—available for free—to help leverage cybersecurity for prospects and existing customers. It is a great way to introduce unfamiliar clients with the topic and how it has become an (inter)national topic.
This post will focus on the Protect IT portion of the initiative
and paraphrase a bit from the resource guides available. Protect IT is broken
down into categories for exploration and to gain valuable insight into their
importance in a secure world:
Social Media Bot programs are common and adaptable to various
social media platforms across multiple venues and areas of interest. Social
Media Bot usage continues to increase on various social media platforms within
the United States. As Social Media Bots increase in usage and utility,
malicious behavior via Social Media Bots is also likely to increase. Recent
elections in 2016 and 2017, in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and
Germany, have drawn a spotlight on the nefarious activity of Social Media Bots.
IDENTITY THEFT AND INTERNET SCAMS
Today’s technology allows us to connect around the world, to
bank and shop online, and to control our televisions, homes, and cars from our
smartphones. With this added convenience comes an increased risk of identity
theft and Internet scams. #BeCyberSmart on the Internet—at home, at school, at
work, on mobile devices, and on the go.
5 STEPS TO PROTECTING YOUR DIGITAL HOME
More and more of our home devices— including thermostats, door
locks, coffee machines, and smoke alarms—are now connected to the Internet.
This enables us to control our devices on our smartphones, no matter our
location, which in turn can save us time and money while providing convenience
and even safety. These advances in technology are innovative and intriguing,
however they also pose a new set of security risks. #BeCyberSmart to connect
with confidence and protect your digital home.
Every topic above has its own corresponding document with tips
and information on how to prevent issues and which precautions to take when
dealing with security. A lot of customers assume they are secure until they are
not, then deal with the repercussions of a data breach. It is beneficial to
leverage this information for customers and show how this topic has national
attention and stress how it will not go away anytime soon.
Helpful links:
National
Initiative For Cybersecurity Careers And Studies (NICCS)